Okay...time for questions

[crazyhorse]

I Totally agree with the mechanical mods taking ALL precedence, right behind safety.
That said, at the speeds mentioned lift WILL be a factor in handling. A slight nose down rake of maybe 1-2 degrees will help tremendously. This will put any kind of wing/spoiler well into the airflow off the rear of the greenhouse. Closing up the factory grille area will add a slight amount of downforce on the front, and cut the CD slightly. A deeper airdam is a great idea. The one from Stevesby is deeper, and has a larger opening. The aftermarket skirts don't lower the bodywork any. The rubber "baseboard" moldings I suggested WILL lower the bodywork, preventing air from getting under the car. Air under the car = lift, lift +speed= scary handling
Yes, Subaru spent millions to get the CD of this car down to .29, but they weren't concerned with aerodynamic lift, just drag. The gorgeous rounded body of the SVX WILL build lift over 130mph.

My '74 MustangII with a 5.0 HO & AOD trans would achieve 140+ mph, BUT at that speed the lift overcame gravity to literally get the car airborne.

[Dessertrunner]

Due to the area and road rules were I live my car has seen plenty of 120 mph and some 140 plus speeds. The areodynamics of the car won't be a problem as long as you have the back wing. The struts & springs need to be changed as they cann't handle that speed unless the road is perfect especily on corners etc.
My next statement every one will disagree with but I run standard brakes except the discs are drilled and sloted. The trick is to remove the dust cover from the back of the brakes to allow cooling. If you check Matt built a rally car and it still has the standard brakes, last rally they worked perfect never failed at all. I run really large diameter tyres and it still stops on a dime with out brake fade.
I think keeping the engine cool will be a challange that's what kills our engines all the time.

[crazyhorse]

I don't disagree at all Desertrunner. The factory calipers are great units. The weak spot in our brake systems is the factory rotors. Better rotors & racing brake pads will go a LONG way. Sustaining 140+ will stress EVERY mechanical part of the car.
Running at 140+ then topping a hill will show up just how light the car is getting. At the VERY least giving the car a small rake will help greatly. For what the baseboard moulding costs, it's cheap insurance against turning turtle over a rise. Add in that it's black & will go unnoticed by the "casual observer" & it's a raving bargain!
I keep coming back to the 140MPH AVERAGE speed statement. That means at V-max he'll likeley be travelling at 160+

[Dessertrunner]

I agree with your point crazyhorse. What I forgot to put in the last thread that the rally car weighted in at 1,350 kg so with a bit of engine mod's you can match or beat the WRX's on power to weight. Like Trevor says we need to know the rules

[pleiad7]

Originally Posted by Dessertrunner

Due to the area and road rules were I live my car has seen plenty of 120 mph and some 140 plus speeds. The areodynamics of the car won't be a problem as long as you have the back wing. The struts & springs need to be changed as they cann't handle that speed unless the road is perfect especily on corners etc.
My next statement every one will disagree with but I run standard brakes except the discs are drilled and sloted. The trick is to remove the dust cover from the back of the brakes to allow cooling. If you check Matt built a rally car and it still has the standard brakes, last rally they worked perfect never failed at all. I run really large diameter tyres and it still stops on a dime with out brake fade.
I think keeping the engine cool will be a challange that's what kills our engines all the time.

Great advice... we're currently looking at DMS coilovers for the suspension and a rotor upgrade to beef up the brakes (we ran slotted/dimpled rotors and stainless lines on our previous '94 SVX LS, and they were a fully sufficient upgrade). In all honesty, the brakes will not nearly be as abused as would be the case on an auto-x or road course; a friend of ours has been participating in Open Road Racing for years, and according to him we can expect to hit the brakes about twice during a race - once when entering the the portion with turns, and once at the finish to slow down.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by Trevor

It would certainly be both helpful and very interesting to have more complete information regarding the type of competitive event involved. As I mentioned, the relevant regulations will dictate what modifications are possible.

Joe suggests AVERAGE speeds of 140 - 150 MPH. Where, when, and for how long, is the question?

Originally Posted by crazyhorse

I keep coming back to the 140MPH AVERAGE speed statement. That means at V-max he'll likeley be travelling at 160+

Originally Posted by Dessertrunner

Like Trevor says we need to know the rules

Well, back at Post #5 Roo provided a link to the site. This has all the rules, all the classes, results for various races and years, the works!!

So if you gents took the time to read all the detail provided, you wouldn't have to keep asking about them.

My 140 average comment was made thinking we were discussing 50 or 70 miles of ruler straight Nevada highway. Having read the course notes, I don't now believe a non-modified SVX could easily achieve this, though a well modified one could. A target of 115 or 120 is more realistic.

This is a moot point for beginners anyway, as the regulations restrict beginners to the lower classes for a start.

I would LOVE to be doing what you are setting up to do. This course is perfect for what the SVX is good at, high speed in comfort.

Joe

[Roo]

Originally Posted by svxistentialist

Well, back at Post #5 Roo provided a link to the site. This has all the rules, all the classes, results for various races and years, the works!!

So if you gents took the time to read all the detail provided, you wouldn't have to keep asking about them.

My 140 average comment was made thinking we were discussing 50 or 70 miles of ruler straight Nevada highway. Having read the course notes, I don't now believe a non-modified SVX could easily achieve this, though a well modified one could. A target of 115 or 120 is more realistic.

This is a moot point for beginners anyway, as the regulations restrict beginners to the lower classes for a start.

I would LOVE to be doing what you are setting up to do. This course is perfect for what the SVX is good at, high speed in comfort.

Joe

Exactly. My target is to OVERBUILD this by a margin, so I'm not pushing the car to do what I want it to do.

I'm looking at competing solely in the 120 mph class, which will allow me a top (technical) speed of 140 mph. I'd rather build this thing to run the Gumball Rally, then subject it to a nice warm up run, rather than build it for a warm up run, and have it fail.

I love all the great suggestions, and we're talking about it most every night now...plotting and planning. This weekend we're going to try to get the gremlins laid to rest, and fix the electrical grounding issue. I've isolated it to under the dash, I think...

[Dessertrunner]

What electrical grounding issue, describe, first place to look is behind the stereo.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Dessertrunner

What electrical grounding issue, describe, first place to look is behind the stereo.

It's a serious enough grounding issue that it blows 100A main fuses on contact. I know that I jumped that with a solid core wire for a second, and the lights come to life, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING else electrical works. There was a wisp of smoke and smell of burning insulation supposedly...and it came from under the dash near the kickpanel, so far as I was told.

[Dessertrunner]

was it the kick panel were the test plugs are? Has some one put in a after market alarm?

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by svxistentialist

Well, back at Post #5 Roo provided a link to the site. This has all the rules, all the classes, results for various races and years, the works!!

So if you gents took the time to read all the detail provided, you wouldn't have to keep asking about them.

Joe

We have read it all, but are no wiser. We do not know the particular class or event in which Roo is going to compete, and therefore the limitations applicable in respect of his car.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by Trevor

We have read it all, but are no wiser. We do not know the particular class or event in which Roo is going to compete, and therefore the limitations applicable in respect of his car.

In the immortal words of Strother Martin in Cool Hand Luke, "What we have here is a communications problem"

You know more than your questions indicate, and Roo is not telling you what you would like to know, maybe because your questions are non specific.

You could possibly have deduced from what he said that they will be in beginners class of one kind or another, but I expect you want Roo to "spell it out".

A friend I used to work with at one stage used to do these "timed average" rallies over here. I remember him telling me how seriously fast you had to travel even to get a 60 mph average.

Of course Irish twisting boreens are not quite the same as Nevada highways. I'd really love to be able to do a stint on one of those US routes, it looks like my idea of fun.

[ridered777]

Originally Posted by Trevor

We have read it all, but are no wiser. We do not know the particular class or event in which Roo is going to compete, and therefore the limitations applicable in respect of his car.

Originally Posted by Roo

Exactly. My target is to OVERBUILD this by a margin, so I'm not pushing the car to do what I want it to do.

I'm looking at competing solely in the 120 mph class, which will allow me a top (technical) speed of 140 mph. I'd rather build this thing to run the Gumball Rally, then subject it to a nice warm up run, rather than build it for a warm up run, and have it fail.

From Roo's statement, It looks as if he's competing in the 120MPH class, and as such would be subjected to any restrictions applicable to that category.

Hope that helps to clear it up - things looked like they might start to get slightly heated in here!

Quick question for Roo's wife... DSM coil overs? I'm not familar with those - linky? Or is it perhaps a different nomenclature than I am familiar with for a popular coil-over option on the SVX?

[longassname]

It sounds to me like pleiad7 and roo are on track (is that a pun in this instance?).

It'll be nice to see a svx restored to competitive glory. I think the engine build and transmisison you have in mind aught to do the trick for power. I'll have some na dyno information for the cams soon as I'm in the process of assembling my engine and it will be going in na to start (although it is low compression and will go fi after break in). From what I've heard from Jeff (someone running the full cam set up na) they perform as was expected, increasing not only the top of the rev range but the whole power band.

I would add the following suggestions

suggestion #1: new engine wiring harnesses and electronics. Harnesses tend to be brittle at the worst possible places. It's best just to get new ones. New nock sensors and coils are a necessity. The other electronics will just save you chasing down failures over the course of ownership of your new engine.

suggestion #2: thermal barier coating of piston tops, combustion chambers, valves, and exhaust ports. This is nice because it increases efficiency accross the board but it is also particularly nice when you are running an engine hard like you will be in these events. You want to keep the heat in your combustion chambers making power and then send it out the exhaust not through your coolant.

Suggestion #3: I think you should run your engine a little cooler than factory. You won't actually need to do anything to accomplish this. At the time you'll be purchasing engine management software I'll have a lot of new variations out replacing stage 2 and many of them will kick the fans on at 180ish instead of 200f.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by ridered777

Hope that helps to clear it up - things looked like they might start to get slightly heated in here!

Heated?

You gotta be kidding Craig. Didn't you read the smilies?

This is just banter between friends.